Connecting Points

Friday, August 27, 2010

Today’s Topic:  Death Brings Life

Today’s Text:  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

Death. The end of life on earth. But not necessarily the end of life. That depends on what you believe life to be.

Yesterday a dear friend died. I first met him in 1987 when I moved to Wisconsin. He was on the leadership board at the church I came to pastor. During my time at the church, we became next door neighbors. My family was invited to all his family celebrations. He treated me like one of his sons. He allowed my family to swim in his pool. He allowed my kids to play in his yard and climb his trees and scare his wife. Over the years we have stayed close. Next week, at his personal invitation, I will conduct his memorial service. He gave me 10 minutes to preach. Hahahahahahahaha.

I was at his bedside with the family hours before he died. I arrived back to his room minutes after he went into the presence of the Lord. We sang a song and prayed. No more crying there, we are going to see the King. No more crying there, we are going to see the King. No more crying there, we are going to see the King. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We’re going to see the King. The room was filled with the certain hope of reunion in the presence of the King.

Chuck left me specific instructions about what to say in my 10 minute message. Short and simply, it is to be about everyone’s need for salvation through Jesus Christ the Lord and King. As I stood around the bedside with the family after he had passed into eternity, I remember saying this to them – Chuck has not died. As a child of God he was set free from the bondage of sin and death and he simply passed from this life into his eternal one. He never experienced death.

Death was not created into the original order of things. God created everything in perfection. The very mention of the word evolution in any form, even the so-called Christian version of an old earth that allows for it, is a denial of the very nature of God. Death is the ultimate consequence of sin. Death proves that all people are guilty of sin, for all die. (read Romans 5:12-19) Evolution is impossible if one believes in God because death could not have occurred prior to man’s sin.  If it did, then what did Jesus die for? If death is not the consequence of sin, then the death of Jesus has no purpose in the redemption of mankind.

The fact that all die is proof that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Except in one case, when one man died voluntarily rather than consequentially. He who knew no sin, had no sin nature, and never committed any sin, died as an innocent one who voluntarily took our sin and guilt on himself. (2 Cor. 5:21) His death became the once-and-for-all payment to God for our individual guilt, and His resurrection guarantees that He is coming back to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. (Hebrews 9:26-28)

Every individual is responsible to God for their sin. Jesus died to make forgiveness possible. Jesus rose from the dead to make eternal life available. But you must decide to trust Jesus to save you. Your church can’t do it. Your good works can’t do it. Only Jesus can do it, and He will if you will just give up and surrender your life to Him in faith. Please read these verses carefully found in Titus 3:3-8. Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled by others and became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy. We hated others, and they hated us. But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life.

Jesus said, “I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” Chuck took the final step into eternity yesterday. But He had already been living in the reality of eternal life for years. You can too. Just come to Jesus and repent of your sin. He will forgive you and accept you into the Family of God. He will qualify you to be an heir of all things in eternity. I know it’s what you need. I also believe it’s what you really want. I would be more than happy to show you the way if you will just write to me.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Today’s Topic:  Truth Reigns

Today’s Text:  He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. (Isaiah 11:3-4)

If it’s right it’s always right. Unfortunately the vast unregenerate public out there doesn’t believe that. From the average citizen to the heads of state, there is a general consensus that truth is relative, and should be allowed to be influenced by circumstances, experiences, and emotions. Even in the Body of Christ, the true church, there is a movement to negotiate truth based on personal needs and desires and social context. But truth is truth no matter what the context, and right is right always.

Imagine the consequences of relative truth and negotiable right. We don’t really even have to imagine. Just look around. Men and women turning to sexual pleasure outside of marriage just to please their fleshly passions, and justifying it with a myriad of rationalizations designed to protect their false image of righteousness. People pursuing possessions at an uncontrollable rate using debt to buy what they think is happiness, all because they believe they deserve it and it will validate their self-worth. Employees and employers alike climbing over people up the ladder of status and position, justifying the pain they cause by proclaiming that everyone should live by the law of survival of the fittest.

Wait, there’s more. Any and every action that produces a self-defined good can be justified as right in people’s minds. The college student’s desire to get into medical school so they can fulfill their passion to be a missionary doctor may only be fulfilled if they pad their academic record, so they cheat. That’s justified according to today’s philosophy of relativity, right?

Oh how far we have come from the Biblical truth of righteousness. How my heart longs for the return of the Righteous One. He will not be swayed by public opinion. He will not be influenced by fleshly passions. He will not negotiate truth based on emotions. His truth is not the product of His experiences, but rather His truth is the expression of His nature. His character is consistent – perfectly consistent – for He has no need of approval or affirmation. He is Who He is – the great I AM. He is the One and Only Eternal God, incarnate in Jesus Christ. He died to pay for each one’s sin, and then rose from the dead to conquer sin and death forever. And He is coming again to establish His kingdom based on truth – non-negotiable truth. Righteousness and justice will be found on the earth once again.

Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. But until you do, may we proudly and courageously stand for your truth – the only truth.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Today’s Topic:  New Growth

Today’s Text:  A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.    (Isaiah 11:1-3)

Last summer a friend of mine came over to my house to help me cut down a couple of trees that were dying. He’s a marvelous tree climber, and has all the ropes and tackle necessary to make the branches and trunk fall in just the right spots. It was a big job, and I was tired by the time it was done. There were a lot of branches to haul into a pile, and there was a lot of firewood to stack.

My plan was to use my chain saw at a later date to cut off the stumps at ground level so they didn’t interfere too much with the growth of the new lilac bushes I planted. Well, the stumps still stand. And now there are shoots of new trees sprouting 3 feet high from the side of one of the stumps. It doesn’t look good. In fact, just the other day, a guy was driving by and stopped and asked my wife if we would hire him to remove the stumps. He obviously thought they were pretty ugly also. (Hmmm…What a strange expression – pretty ugly.)

Anyway, now that I’m refocused from my mental diversion into antonyms, I was thinking about those new shoots of trees from the old stump. I really do miss that tree. It would be nice if it grew again. I wonder what those shoots would ever amount to if I pruned them and let one of them grow? I know it would take a long time, but someone, someday, would enjoy the fruit of my endeavor.

History tells us that nations, like trees, tend to die. They cease to be productive. God tells us the reason for this is that they move down a political path that rejects the truth of His Sovereignty. Death is always the result of rejection of God. Sometimes nations die a slow death of moral and social decay. Sometimes they are cut down before the decay causes further damage to surrounding territories. In the tenth chapter of Isaiah, God cuts down the nations that have rejected Him. See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax…(Isaiah 10:33-34)

God’s judgment always has a two-fold purpose. First, it is to destroy sin. Second, it is to restore life as He intended. Whether we are destroyed or restored is our choice and depends upon the humility of our hearts to repent of our sin and surrender to God’s purpose for our lives. The same is true for nations. When there is humility and repentance, there will be restoration. God promises it. It may take a long time, and we may not be around to see the full effects of the restoration project, but God is faithful to accomplish it.

God’s faithfulness is guaranteed in the very next verse after He describes the chopping of the trees. The stump is going to produce a new shoot – a Branch that will bear the fruit of restoration. This is the spiritual truth illustrated by the stump in my front yard. Jesus Christ will spring forth from the tree of Israel that was cut down because of its sin. He will be filled with the Spirit of the LORD and He will be qualified with wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, and power to restore the Kingdom and reign as its King. He will bring to the people the delight of living in awe of God.

What we see is the principle of pruning to perfection. It’s what God may be doing in your life right now. At the minimum He’s clipping off the unproductive and sinful branches of your life so that the righteous branches can bear more fruit. At times it seems like He’s cutting down the whole tree. Some people need that. They need to be left with a stump in order for the Branch to sprout fresh and bring them life again. To whatever degree God is pruning you, let Him. Sure it hurts – but the new growth will be much better and you will delight in it.

Pastor John

Connecting Points
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Today’s Topic:  Fuel for the Fire

Today’s Text:  The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away.  And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down.  In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 10:17-20)

Recently I enjoyed several days of camping with my family. All the kids and grandkids were there at one time or another. We shared meals and spent time in the boat and on the beach. We did nature walks through the woods with the grandkids. And we had campfires. I love campfires. It’s the best time of the day, so as much as possible, we keep the fire burning all day to make the whole day great. Anytime there’s any stress at all you can just go sit in a lawn chair by the fire and relax. It’s therapeutic.

But fires take fuel. On the weekend we camped we stayed through Monday, so Sunday afternoon, when all the other campers were leaving, I took the Jeep and drove through the campground looking for firewood that had been left behind. I came back with enough wood to last us Sunday and Monday and still brought some home for the next trip.

Yesterday on Facebook, a friend from down south posted something that got me thinking about fire and fuel. Then this morning I read the passage above from the book of Isaiah. I’m now more convinced than ever of the truth I heard from my friend. He said, in my paraphrased version, that we have no right to ask the refining fire of God to come upon us unless we are willing to become the fuel!!

When God’s people had wandered far enough into the ways of sin, the Light of Israel became a consuming fire to purify them. He burned everything so that those who were willing to be refined would rely upon Him alone and not on their own wisdom and strength. That is what God wants to do to each one of us – refine us with fire so His light shines in and through us.

As we sat around the campfire, making sure the kids didn’t get too close, we took turns poking at it and moving coals around so that everything would burn as brightly as possible. We added more fuel when necessary. In our spiritual lives we must do the same. We must let the Holy Spirit poke around in our hearts and minds and stir up the coals that are blackened with sin. We must search the entire campsite of our lives for any fuel that has been left behind by past failures – fuel that will ignite into sin if not burned in God’s Holy fire first. We must want the fire of God’s holiness to burn as brightly as possible is us.

So today, spend some time looking for firewood. Then let the Holy One become the flame in you that burns every log, stick, and woodchip so that you no longer rely upon yourself, but on the LORD!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, August 23, 2010

Today’s Topic:  Nothing To Fear

Today’s Text:  For he says: “‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding… Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it, or the saw boast against him who uses it? As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up, or a club brandish him who is not wood! (Isaiah 10:13, 15)

This past weekend I was blessed to be able to spend two days at my daughter’s house helping my son-in-law with a construction project. There was electrical wiring to install, insulation to put in place, and sheetrock to hang on the ceiling of a bedroom in the basement. We worked hard, and everything came together nicely.

When my time there was done, I realized something. Not once did any of the tools I used turn on me. My hammer never once redirected its focus to my thumb. My cordless drill never once impaled me. The wiring didn’t entangle me. The insulation didn’t wrap itself around me. I was in complete control of every tool and every piece of building material, and it did exactly what I directed it to do.

This may sound incredibly simplistic to you; maybe even foolish. Of course none of those inanimate objects did anything to you. They don’t have a mind of their own. They can’t make conscious choices. They are totally at the disposal of and subject to the will of the owner and operator. 

But take a moment and think about the application of that simple truth to our understanding of the Sovereignty of God. In the context of Isaiah 10, God is speaking to the King of Assyria who has become prideful about his ability to dominate the world political scene. This arrogant king believes that it has been by his own strength and wisdom he has been able to conquer the nations of the world. But God is going to teach him who’s really in control.

Every political power currently in place is there because God has ordained it, (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13-17) and is being used for the accomplishment of God’s glory. Every politician in office anywhere in the world is a part of God’s perfect plan for the building of His Son’s Kingdom. In fact, every governmental power is seen as an inanimate object in the hands of a Sovereign God who controls all activity and outcomes. Any pride taken by any official for their accomplishments is seen by God as insubordination.

I see two applications of this truth to my personal life today:

• I do not need to fear the political powers of the present. The threats of terrorists, the corruption of capitalism with communism, and the demise of democracy not cause me alarm. They are but another step in the destruction of humanism as God calls people to trust Him alone and prepare for the King who is coming!

Pastor James McDonald wrote this just today on his devotional blog – Worried about world powers? World War 3? Terrorists? Market crashes? Biological warfare? Understand this from Isaiah : “[God] who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.”

What ever happened to Napoleon? Didn’t he die in exile on an island somewhere? Or Alexander, the not-so Great? Hitler? Or the maniac leaders of our generation – Osama bin Laden or what was his name, Sadam Hussein? Their influence is hardly a blip on God’s monitor. They may cause us to bite our nails and worry, but God isn’t pacing, or wringing His hands. Just as soon as He’s ready He will reduce those leaders to nothing and He will do it with His feet up.

Isaiah says in effect, “Don’t you get it? God doesn’t read the New York Times. If He did, it wouldn’t make any difference. Nothing stops God’s unalterable purposes in this world!”

I can’t wait for that day in heaven when we get to hear history’s real story – when we read God’s script and realize all He was doing behind the scenes. Just imagine the drama of God’s continuous, all-wise intervention in the sinful machinations of human armies and governments. To think that not one of His purposes is ever delayed or frustrated – not even for a moment. We will be amazed, stunned, and captured by God’s awesome control of human affairs.

When will we embrace the reality of God’s awesome control over history? History is and always has been God’s ballgame. He decides who gets on base, who pitches, who scores. He calls one man out and advances another runner. Don’t try to figure it out.

• Finally, I need to be very careful that I don’t take any pride in what I consider to be my accomplishments. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13), but apart from God I can do nothing (John 15:5). I must, as you must, give God all the glory for everything that happens, and recognize by faith the He is in control…ALWAYS and FOREVER!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Today’s Topic:  Self Sufficiency

Today’s Text:  The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel.  All the people will know it -Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—who say with pride and arrogance of heart, “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” (Isaiah 9:8-10)

WOW! What a summer. I have been blessed to be able to be with family almost every week this summer. The reality is that I have been gone more than I’ve been at home. I am literally in need of a vacation from vacations. I have felt disconnected and discombobulated (amazing – that must really be a word because spell checker didn’t change it). I missed my time in the morning writing these connecting points. I felt out of touch with what God was doing in your life. I completely enjoyed my time with the grandkids and the rest of the family, but at my age there is something very precious about routine. Next week I get to start in on the routine again. That’s right, next week. I’m off on one more adventure on Friday and Saturday to help my son-in-law finish construction on a bedroom in their house. But for today and tomorrow, I must write and get connected to you again.

Usually on my vacations God teaches me something that I believe is extremely significant and relevant to where we are in our spiritual walk with Jesus. For the last two weeks I’ve been waiting for the light to be clicked on revealing the truth I need to learn. As I drove to the office this morning I felt like I was still in the dark. Then, as I opened up the Bible on my desk to the book of Isaiah and began reading where we left off in our study, the light came on.

For two weeks I have been living my life. During that time I camped, fished, golfed, and played at the beach with grandkids. I sat around a campfire and talked with family. I observed behaviors in people and looked for something God wanted to teach me. I prayed that I would be refreshed and ready to serve Him with greater intensity. I even checked emails on my phone to stay in touch with developments in our church’s pursuit of the purchase of a new building. I actually responded to some of the emails and got involved in the process. My heart was torn between the call to ministry and the need to relax.

Then this morning it hit me. I am so thankful that God has brought me to a place of trust in Him that even when I am doing my own thing it’s not really my own thing – it’s all a part of His life in me. Now please don’t take this as bragging – I want nothing to resemble pride in this. To God alone be all the glory for what He is doing. I know I still have a long way to go in this, but one thing I believe is very true – God is teaching me to trust Him completely and not be self sufficient in any way.

Let’s look back at our lives for a moment. Try and recall those times in your life when things didn’t turn out the way you wanted them to. Think about the situations you were in where you found yourself crying out for things to be different. Think about the frustration and anger you felt when you thought the people you love the most were the ones hurting you the worst. I hope your list isn’t as long as mine.

Now, in those situations, how many times did you take matters into your own hands and try to resolve the issue?

Self sufficiency.

That’s what God said was true of the people of Israel in the days of Isaiah. He had sent them distress to get their attention and alert them to their spiritual need. Their response? Self sufficiency. They experienced the tragedies. They saw the devastating results. They responded with their own plans to rebuild better than before. After the pain of the loss had receded, their first thought was how they could improve and expand their own material world. God wanted them to turn to Him. Instead they turned to their own ambitions.

Self sufficiency.

Let it not be true of me. Let me not turn the love of God expressed in the discipline of his children into an opportunity for personal gain. Let me wait on the Lord and renew my strength. Let me trust His outcomes rather than manipulating them according to my own desires. Let me walk by faith and not by sight, knowing that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose and not their own.

Pastor John

I apoligize for the political ad that appears in todays blog.  I don’t know how it got there.  I will work on removing all such ads when I am able to.

Connecting Points

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Today’s Topic:  Exactly What We Need

Today’s Text:  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Security.

Solutions.

Status.

Strength.

Support.

These are the needs of mankind.

Every need is met in one place…no, in one Person. His name is Jesus.

He is the Wonderful Counselor, providing support and solutions.

He is the Mighty God, providing strength.

He is the Everlasting Father, providing status.

He is the Prince of Peace, providing security.

Whatever you think you need you will find in Jesus.

Surrender your life to Him, and He will set you free.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Today’s Topic:  Light Shines

Today’s Text:  Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress…The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:1-2)

Yesterday was gloomy. I’m not talking about the weather. The reality of millions of people – maybe even billions – living in distress and under duress is gloomy. The thought of millions of people walking in darkness as described in yesterday’s Scripture from Isaiah 8 is gloomy. Can someone please turn on the lights for them?

Yes He can, and He has. I saw it happen again just this morning. I prayed with a man who has had the light of God’s grace shine into his life save him from His sin. Just this morning he did that. The darkness did not overwhelm him. He saw the light, and there is no more gloom in his soul.

I cannot write more than that. I am overwhelmed that God used me to explain the Light to him. I am in awe of God’s Holy Spirit who revealed Jesus to him. I am inexpressibly thankful for his response to the Gospel message and that he is now fully and eternally my brother. He no longer walks in the darkness. He is right now walking in the light of God’s saving grace.

There is no greater thrill in life than to know we are accomplishing our purpose. Those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ know our purpose – to be light to those walking in darkness and to bring them to the One True Light. It is the greatest event in anyone’s life, when they discover life in the land of death. The next greatest event is when we get to be a part of leading someone else to that light. There should be no higher priority on our to-do list than to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ to bring light to those living in darkness.

So let me ask you – when was the last time you had the thrill of turning on the light for someone?

Paor John

Connecting Points

Monday, August 02, 2010

Today’s Topic:  Darkness Looms

Today’s Text:  To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (Isaiah 8:20)

What is it like to live without hope? What does it feel like to have no confidence in the glorious return of Jesus Christ to set all things right? What pain people must feel who live only for today and who find their only worth and pleasure in what today brings.

Hope was personified in Greek mythology as Elpis, a young woman, usually carrying flowers or cornucopia in her hands. When Pandora opened Pandora’s Box, she let out all the evil except one: hope. Evidently, the Greeks considered hope to be as dangerous as all the world’s evils.

In Human, All Too Human, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche argued that “Zeus did not want man to throw his life away, no matter how much the other evils might torment him, but rather to go on letting himself be tormented anew. To that end, he gives man hope. In truth, it is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man’s torment.”

How sad a philosophy by which many live. The prophet of God named Isaiah described the condition of such people in the Bible. He said,

Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. (Isaiah 8:18-22)

What a prediction of people’s pathetic predicament. We are surrounded every day with people who are in the bondage of such a world view. They see the corruption and suffering around them. They have experienced it in their own lives. They have tried to find answers from people who, in spite of their advertised abilities, are in the same situation. They have cursed their earthly rulers and blamed them for not fixing their problems. In their anger they have looked up to God and cursed Him. Then, as they continue to look for solutions from the world’s system, their darkness deepens. They are people with no hope.

But here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. What an amazing statement by Isaiah. He sees himself and the other faithful followers of God in his family as the signs and symbols that the LORD Almighty is truly on the throne and in control of all things. His life was the example of hope that the people in darkness needed to see.

What a challenge to us who have the hope of glory in our hearts. We are the signs and symbols to the hopeless world that God’s promises can be trusted. We are the light that is to shine in the midst of the deepening darkness. We are the ones who proclaim, not just with our lips but with our lives, that the Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. The hope we profess in word and deed is the testimony of faith that will cause the hopeless to ask us for what we have.

How we live is truly a statement of what we really believe. How will people in the dark see the light of God’s truth and have hope if we are living in the same darkness? Let the light of God shine in your life today.

Pastor John